Railway-switch



No. 609,659. Patented Aug. 23, I898. H. CHRISTENSON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Dec. 20, 1897.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS GHRISTENSON, OF CRYSTAL FALLS, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,659, dated. August 23, 1898.

Application filed December 20, 1897. Serial No. 662,558. (No model.)

To CI/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HANS CHRISTENSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crystal Falls, in the county of Iron and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railway-switches; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a switching apparatus for automatically keeping the main track open which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and effectual and positive in operation; second, such an apparatus which maybe operated by the conductor or engineer from a moving train when it is' desired to shift the switch to a position for passing the cars over the side track, and, third, a railway-switch which may be operated by a switchman through the instrumenta'lity of a throw-lever of the ordinary or any preferred construction.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved railway-switch, showing the main track open. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View, partly in section, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing a portion. of the bar for throwing the switch when operated by an ordinary throw-lever. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of aportion of the shifting bar for the switchrails, illustrating the manner of securing the springs for actuating the same thereon. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the automatic locking device for holding the switch-rails in position to side-track the cars; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of a portion of a device which may be attached to the train for operating the switch therefrom.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

A and A represent the rails of the main track, and B B the switching or shifting rails, the latter of which are secured in any suitable manner to the operating-bar C, which passes transversely under the rails A and A and is provided in one of its ends with a slot 0 for the reception and operation of the piece D, which has its side or surface adjacent to the rails formed with an inclined portion 61, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The piece D stands in an upright position,as shown in Fig. 2, and fits within a suitable socket or opening a in the cross-tie or sleeper C, on which the operating-bar O rests. The middle 6 portion of the bar 0 is provided on each of its sides with a laterally-extending arm or projection a, against which one end of the springs a may rest, the other end of said springs being secured to or resting against suitable Washers a secured on the ends of the rods a which pass through openings in the arms a. and the guide-blocks b, which are secured to the tie or sleeper G and located one on each side of the operating-bar. The springs 01, have one of their ends resting against the said guide-blocks and their other ends against the washers or plates a on the opposite ends of the rods a which are em ployed for holding the springs a and a in position.

Extending along the outer surface of the rail A and about flush therewith is a rail E, which is pivotally secured, as at e in its outer portion to suitable supports. The rail E normally liesin a plane or horizontal position and has in its inner lower portion or that part thereof adjacent to the rail A and near the operating-bar O a recess e to engage the cam-shaped catch f, which is pivotally secured on the outer portion of the bar F, which passes through an opening inthe rail A and is bolted or otherwise secured at its other end to the rail l3. (See Fig. 5 of the drawings.) 5

Secured to the outer surfaceof the rail A at a proper point to engagethe cam-shaped catch f is 2. lug or projection g, which con tacts with the rounded surface of the catch f and causes the outer portion of said catch me be seen that the outer portion of the recess 6 in the rail E is formedwith a bevel or incline e and that the outer or upper portion of the catch f is rounded or inclined, so that when the weight ofthe wheels of the cars is removed from the rail E the springs a and 01, actuating the operatin g-bar C,will press said bar and the rails B B and the bar]? outwardly or to their normal positions, the bevel or incline e of the recess 6 and the rounded portion of the catch f permitting such movement of said members. Pivotally secured atone of its ends, as at h, is a lever H, which lies in an inclined position on the top of the piece D and is, for the purpose of receiving the roller 7), secured on the arm or lever I, which may be suitably attached to a car or locomotive, so that it may be raised or lowered when it is desired that the roller 1' shall contact with the lever H, which, as before stated, rests on the upper end ofthe piece D, which, through the medium of the operating-bar O, shifts the position of the switching-rails.

Passing through an opening in the rail A is a bar L, which contacts at its inner end with the outer surface of the rail B and is secured at its other end to a throw-lever M of the ordinary or any preferred construction and which may be used by a switchman for shifting the switch-rails when it is desired to side-track the cars. The rail E is of sufficient length to sustain at the same time the front and rear wheels of the carthat is to say, before the front wheels leave one end of the said rail the rear wheels will be on its other end, thus pressing the rail downwardly until the last wheel of the'last car shall have passed over. In order to prevent the rail B from being sprung by the centrifugal force of the cars 'as they pass onto the side track, I place and secure on the outer surface of said rail a reinforcing-piece n, which when the rail 13 is shifted to the rail A said piece will lie therebetween and form a rigid support therefor, as is apparent.

The operation of my switch is simple and as follows: When the train is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the roller ion the lever or bar I, mounted on a car or locomotive, may be lowered until it impinges the lever II, which will thereby be pressed downward, thus forcing the piece D downwardly, which operation will by reason of the inclined part d of said piece force the operating-bar O therefrom and shift the rails B and B to the proper position to side-track the cars. When the operating-bar shall have thus been moved, the bar F, carrying the catch f, will also be moved with the rail B and by reason of the projection g contacting with the catch f Will raise said catch into the recess 6 of the rail E,w11ich rail will be held in a horizontal position by reason of the wheels of the car, as theypass over it. As soon as a train shall have passed over said rail the springs a and 0. will force the operating-bar to its normal position, when by reason of the bevel or incline e of the recess 6 in the rail E the catch f will be disengaged therefrom, thus permitting the members to assume their normal positions and leaving the main track open. The switch may be operated by means of the throw-lever M and connecting bar or rod L by turning said lever to the proper point, when the bar L will force the rails B and B to the proper position to side-track the cars. V

I In order to protect the mechanism from snow and ice, a suitable covering may be placed overthe portions liable to be affected thereby, as is apparent.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the stationary rails, with the switch-rails movably secured, a transverse operating-bar uniting the switch 'rails and having at one of its ends a slot,

springs located about the middle of said bar to retract the same, an arm secured to one of the switch-rails and extending through an opening in one of the stationary rails and carrying a catch, the rail E, pivotally secured alongside one of the stationary rails and having in its inner portion a recess to engage said catch, and means to shift the operatingbar, switch-rails, and said arm, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the stationary rails, with the switch rails movably secured, a transverse operating-bar uniting the switchrails and having at one of its ends a slot, springs located about the middle of said bar to retract the same, an arm secured to one of the switch-rails and extending through an opening in one of the stationary rails and carrying a catch, the rail E, pivotally secured alongside one of the stationary rails and having in its inner portion a recess to engage said catch, the upright piece D, located in the slot of the operating-bar, a piece resting on said upright piece, and means to force said pieces downwardly, substantially as described.

HANS OHRISTENSON.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, E. A. DUGGAN. 

